‘Monty’s World #3:’ Comic Book Review

Quite recently, I was waxing about the joy of the independent comic book anthology and the advantages (and disadvantages) of this type of comic book. Well, as fate would have it, my path has crossed that of another excellent independent comic anthology: Monty’s World. Featuring a classic comic book feel, some well-known talent, and a trio of exciting tales, Monty’s World is another great indie comic that is well worth offering your support to!

MINOR SPOILERS BELOW

Monty’s World #3 is an excellent example of the type of professional, yet fun, books that smaller indie publishers are able to put out when they know what they’re doing. As I mentioned before, Monty’s World #3 offers readers three different stories:

- "John Kirby: Firefox: First Contact" - Written by Will Lill Comics’ founder T. Warren Montgomery and featuring the art of Lee Melton, this story follows the adventures of an extra-terrestrial superhero and his escape to Earth. With its vintage comic book feel, this story will surely engage those who love DC characters like Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter.

- "The Exiles (1988) Part 3: Arena of Death" - Written by Lonnie Weems and featuring the art of T. Warren Montgomery. If you’re into complex plots, spaceships, high adventure, and battling Aryan satanists, then this is the story for you.

- "The Battle of Dulce" - Written by Steve Perry (a favorite of mine who has written novels for the Aliens and Star Wars franchises, among others) and featuring the art of Steve Williams, this is a creepy and surprising sci-fi tale that plays out like a top-notch Twilight Zone episode, and it is easily my favorite contribution in Monty’s World #3. What’s is about? Well, let me say that just because aliens and the government might be working together inside Area 51 doesn’t necessarily mean they work well together and disagreements can be . . . messy.

The creative talent behind these tales all deliver good, professional work for Monty’s World #3. Penciller Steve Williams and inker Stuart Berryhill were standouts for me in the art department, but there really are no let downs across the board in the book. If I could offer any criticism at all, it would perhaps be a request for more exciting, engaging cover art. Montgomery’s color image of Firefox is nice, but I can’t help but think that I’d be more likely to pick up the book if the cover featured Firefox plummeting to Earth or battling a mech instead of simply striking a heroic pose.

FINAL VERDICT: Monty’s World #3 is definitely worth the price of admission (around $3.50 for print copies, 99 cents for digital), so get out there and support indie comics! I imagine it will also be worth your while to grab Monty’s World #1 and #2, but I haven’t had a chance to read those issues yet, and I easily made the to jump into Monty’s World #3. If you’re a fan of books like Dark Horse Presents or Identity Comics’ Verge (my review of issue #1 is available here), then do not hesitate to purchase a copy of Monty’s World #3.

For more info on Monty’s World #3 or Will Lill Comics, visit the official Will Lill Comics website.

That’s all for now, comic book sniffers! Keep fighting the good fight!